Sleeping with Anemone: A Flower Shop Mystery

I really enjoy this series, the characters are fun and I look forward to the next adventure of Kate, and the next thing her mother is going to create, also will she take the step and get engaged to her Ranger.

Kate Collins writes her cozy mysteries not just for the "chick-lit" crowd. I have given these books as gifts ever since I came upon the first in the series, " Mum's The Word" and was absolutely hooked. It's not often that a cozy mystery spans a broad range of readers, but Collins does it with ease. My favorite by far was "Shoots To Kill," but this new title has just taken the number one spot. She has really taken the time to flesh out some of the characters that have been around for awhile, while adding some fresh and fun new characters. Trust me, once you read one book you will have to read them all!

When feisty florist Abby Knight learns a small dairy farm in her home town is being replaced by a dairy "factory," mistreating the animals, pumping the poor cows full of toxins and hormones, she takes action. No one is going to poison New Chapel's food supply! But when bad things start happening at her flower shop, Bloomers, and then someone tries to kidnap her, she suspects the big national food company is striking back. But are they? When one of the kidnappers ends up murdered, it's up to Abby and her hot boyfriend Marco to find out who's behind it. If you've been following the series, you'll love how Abby's and Marco's relationship moves forward, with surprising results. If you're new to the series, don't worry! You will understand everything. If you like fast-paced suspense and a healthy dose of humor, with a bit of romance thrown in, try SLEEPING WITH ANEMONE.

This mystery was an easy read. I always enjoy Kate Collins, and her flower mystery books. This was no exception. Abby always seems to be in the thick of things. This adventure is no different. This book has cows, candy hearts, flowers, a little murder or two, to keep you reading the book. Plus, the added bonus of their on again off again, "do we get engaged or not", question of the day. I like that one gets to see more of Abby's family and Marco's family, intertwined in the plot. It feels a little more cozy. At the end of the book, Ms. Collins shows us a glimpse of her next mystery, called, "Dirty Rotten Tendrils". It comes out in October. I will be waiting for the next installment.

At a home and garden show sponsored by Uniworld Food, Bloomers Flowers owner Abby Knight circulates a petition against the host firm opening up a dairy farm in which the firm uses bovine hormones to increase milk production by nine times. The hormones get into the milk people drink and harm the animals. Her efforts anger the company's district manager Nils Raand who has her removed from the exhibit hall. Back at her florist shop, Abby finds a broach in a box or orchids she ordered from Hawaii. Her mother makes duplicates to be sold at the shop. Abby is missing an order of anemones that the vendor says he sent to her. Although she is annoyed over the mix-up she becomes frightened over the attempted kidnappings of her roommate Nikki, cousin Jillian and niece Tara. Kate and her lover former Ranger boyfriend turned private investigator Marco believe Nils is behind the terrorism crimes. A brick inside burning paper is tossed through the shop window. However, Kate reconsiders whether Nils is the culprit or someone else from Uniworld whose corporate values can be found in the sewage system though she also wonders why a large influential corporation would violently go after a minor league gnat. Readers will thoroughly enjoy this amateur sleuth tale that uses family humor in between some dangerous escapades. The heroine is strong willed and at times resents Marco trying to protect her as she is no lilting violet. Their families want the duo married, another item that upsets her as she feels they should mind their business. Marco is a saint for putting up with the female Oscar the grouch. However what refreshes the latest Flower Shop mystery is the issue of whether hormonal induced products are safe in the long run vs. the immediate starvation around the world. Harriet Klausner